Avatar: The Beast Wars Ch.15, Assault
Introducing Characters none Assault Nobody who saw the immense creature's attack would ever forget it. There was a terrible roar and suddenly an airship, one of three tasked with guarding the capital, exploded in a ball of flames with a shriek of tearing metal. The creature was undaunted by the explosion and was in an instant atop the next blimp, allowing spectators a better view of it. It resembled a dragon, though it was shorter in the body and broader in the wings. It was coal black and surrounded in a dark blue aura. Its solid blue eyes burned with a savage delight as the airship lurched under the impact of its landing. In an instant, the hull of the airship was shredded beneath its immense talons and it leapt off as the airship dropped in a ball of flames. The third airship was coming about, and the firebenders aboard had immediately run down to the firing deck. Cannons and fire blasts flew as the immense beast wove effortlessly through the onslaught, letting the cannon shot and flames thunder into the capitol below. The creature flashed beneath the airship and spines on its back tore away the firing deck, sending those standing on it tumbling to their deaths as the creature rolled. The creature twisted midair, effortlessly outmaneuvering the slow airship and grabbing its dorsal guidance fins. With incredible ease, the creature bent the fins and sent the air ship careening into the capitol below, unlike the others that had managed to land outside the crater in which the city was built. The creature didn't follow the airship down, instead it swooped low and fast along the palace walls, letting its immense claws drag along beneath it, effortlessly turning several tons of stone to rubble and dozens of soldiers into casualties before it swooped back skyward. It hovered with calm beats of its wings and surveyed the damage before calling "Come out come out wherever you are!" It coiled around the central tower of the palace and called through a window, "Little one! Where are you?" It crawled around the tower and then roared in frustration before striking with its head like a snake and tearing away a chunk of the tower in its teeth. Then it began digging away at the tower like a badger-bear at a termant hill, carelessly tossing aside people as it pulled them out by the handful. Suddenly an immense fire blast startled it into backing away. It appeared unharmed though as a glowing figure stepped from the ruined tower onto a whirlwind which spontaneously appeared. Spectators immediately recognized the airbender as the avatar and cheered as he attempted to encase the creature in earth. The creature tore free effortlessly and roared out a challenge. Suddenly something slammed into it from the side and it twisted as it went flying, landing catlike on its feet. All present gasped in awe at the glowing golden figure with the orange wings, swooping upward to deliver a light laden punch to the beast's jaw that actually succeeded in causing its head to snap back. The creature looked at the glowing figure, more confused and surprised than injured as the figure swooped away and the Avatar's whirlwind advanced, a dozen boulders tearing free from the ground to hover around him as dozens of firebenders lined the nearest wall to attack. Suddenly the creature was blindsided by an immense column of water and dashed against the wall. As the torrent ceased and the creature fell back to its feet, its wings flaring in rage, all eyes turned to the glowing white figure advancing through the air from the gardens atop an immense water spout. Even at her weakest, Yue was still the Moon Spirit, and thus one of the most powerful water benders in world. Now she put all of her power to work executing the technique Kiran had told her of. The creature looked about in confusion as rings of water rose around it, glowing with golden light as the avatar, a girl down on the ground clad in blue, and the gold and white figures moved their arms in intricate water bending movements. A few onlookers noticed a gruesome smile spreading across the monsters face as the golden glow began to spread up it from the water. A few moments later, the creature was entirely golden, and so bright it was difficult to look at. There was a flash and the four benders slumped in exhaustion as the immense creature stood poised on its back feet, its wings loosely folded on its back. It was now a pristine white and the dark blue aura had become a cheerful pale blue. It spread its wings and tilted its head back. The four benders who had encased it in golden light sighed with relief as it held its exuberant pose for an instant before lowering itself slowly to all fours. Yue tensed a little as it padded over to her, but there was no malice in the creatures eyes at it drew close to her. She heard Katara gasp, just in time to register the triumphant look in the creature's eyes. Suddenly an immense red torrent washed over her. Nobody had noticed what had been going on atop the battlements behind the immense creature as it had spread its brilliant white wings. Nobody had seen the imperial firebenders lift off the ground as all the creature's will exerted itself over the very blood in their veins. Nobody had seen their blood ripped from their veins and cling to the backs of the creatures wings when it spread them. Nobody had seen the blood conceal itself on the bottom of its wings. Nobody knew the beast was a blood bender until it hit Yue in the face with enough blood to fill thirty bodies. Katara, Aang and Kiran leapt to attack and were quickly swept aside by the beast's immense tail which slammed Kiran into the outer wall hard enough to make it shake. Kiran landed on her feet and with a clap of her hands and a stomp of her feet, she raised her hands and the entire outer wall, swinging her arms in a chopping movement and swatting the immense creature aside with the wall like a fly. As the beast erupted out of the rubble Kiran took to the air and unleashed a blast of fire that blistered the stone and mortar as it washed over the creature. The beast roared and Kiran was certain she had at least wounded it as she banked and glided away. Then she folded her glider wings and dropped to the ground, sending an earthen tidal wave that buried the creature under the rapidly demolished wall. "Ha!" she yelled triumphantly, then a coal black snakelike appendage wrapped in a dark blue aura snapped out of the rubble like a whip. It wrapped around Katara's leg and yanked her into the air as Kiran's hastily constructed water blade sliced through the space where it had been an instant earlier. The creature chuckled darkly as it emerged from the rubble unscathed, Katara struggling in its grip as the tail quickly wrapped around her from her toes to her throat. Aang cried out in terror, "No!" The creature laughed darkly, "Move and I'll crush her." "No!" Aang yelled before lowering his arms and taking a neutral stance, "I'll do whatever you want." Suddenly the monster's head snapped forward like a serpent and it slammed him into the ground with enough force to leave a crater, knocking him soundly unconscious, breaking several ribs, and severely traumatizing his internal organs. The damage was severe enough to break his concentration, and Kiran's hold on a semisolid form. She disappeared in a frustrated burst of light. The creature laughed triumphantly and flicked its tail, tossing Katara rolling to the ground forty feet away. Before she could regain her feet, the creature took off. As it rose and flapped away, Katara could have sworn she saw a bloody figure cradled in one immense clawed hand. Just then though, she had bigger concerns, "Aang!" [http://cacklingshadowschatshack.wikia.com/wiki/Avatar:_The_Beast_Wars_Ch.16 Next: Chapter 16, Bad and Worse]